Koko Crater Tramway (aka: The Stairmaster of Doom)

I lied. My first hike back was actually this one. I've heard it referred to by many names: Koko Head, Koko Crater, The Stairs, The Stairs of Doom, (and my personal favorite) The Stairmaster of Death. The draw for this hike is that it's all stairs. Stairs! We do stairs all the time, right? The elevator is broken, we take the stairs. No biggie.

Wrong.

First of all, they aren't stairs. It's a set of railway ties that was used during WW2 to haul supplies up to bunkers at the top of Koko Crater. About halfway up the mountain, the actual tracks are still intact and it spans a gully measuring about 20 feet across. Recently I have heard that there is a bypass trail alongside the tracks for those acrophobics among us (hello!) - which I plan to use the next time I go.

So the Stairmaster of Death. It incorporates about 1,050 steps up an extinct volcanic crater. At the terminus of the tramway are a set of bunkers, as I mentioned before.

Nearing the end of the tramway, looking back on how far we've come. In the distance is Hanauma Bay, Portlock, and Hawai'i Kai. 

Seeing as this was my first real re-introduction to training, I shouldn't have been so surprised at how winded I got and how quickly I ran out of gas. I tried to charge up as much as my legs would allow me but once we got about 3/4 of the way up, I couldn't do more than 10 steps at a time before I had to break to rest for a minute or two. I recall thinking to myself, "this hike is dumbassery at its finest. What was I thinking?" But I kept on, and eventually I made it to the top. The reward was incredible.

jdizzle (who had powered up way ahead of me and had to wait a good 20 minutes for me to drag myself up to the top) and I quickly scrambled to the top of the first bunker to peel off a few shots for posterity's (and instagram's) sake.

Believe me, smiling was the last thing I wanted to do. I was glad to have made it to the top though!

This was really how I felt about it. But this was Day 1 of training and I expected to feel like I got hit by a train, a truck, and a classroom full of energetic toddlers simultaneously. 

This hike is a must-do if you're a visitor to the islands or a kama'āina. Taking water is a given, of course. There's little (to no) shade whatsoever, so wear sunblock and/or a hat, even on overcast days. Shoes are advised; however, on this particular day we did speak with a gal who tackled this trail barefoot. Because of the crowds, it's important to exercise good hiking etiquette and give way to those folks coming down the steps. Exercise caution when walking down the ties - especially on the tracks over the gully. One misstep and you could rack yourself or worse. All in all, this is easy and family-friendly (if your kids are mountain goats, that is.)

How to get there: Head east on H-1. Continue on H-1 till till the freeway ends and turns into highway 72 (Kalanianaole Highway). Continue 5.3 miles to Lunalilo Home Road. Take a left on Lunalilo Home Road and continue 0.3 miles to Anapalua Street. Take a right on Anapalua Street and follow it into the Koko Head Regional Park. Continue to the obvious parking area 0.3 miles into the park. Park and walk the dirt path to the base of the railroad tie stairs to the summit.

Trail length: approximately 1 mile round-trip.
Elevation gain: 1,200 feet
Time: Lots of folks use this as a regular training course and complete it in under 30 minutes. I am not one of them. It took me about an hour to get to the top.

Ka'iwa Ridge Hike (aka: The Lanikai Pillboxes)

When jdizzle and I made the agreement to get our sorry asses into shape, what first occurred to me was, "hey! Let's go for a run!" I was quickly reminded (about 0.2 miles into my first jog) exactly why I don't run.

First, it's boring. What am I running toward, exactly?

Second, I have short legs. Not made for running.

Third, I don't need a third reason. I run because I have to. Not because I want to.

In contemplating this hatred of running yet urge to prepare for the Spartan Race, I hatched a plan to attack this Rocky IV-style. We were going to go au naturale (no, not naked, you weirdos) and get out of the gym, get away from the free weights and let nature train us. We hit the trails.

Our first hike together was an obvious choice - the Pillboxes. Its publicly-accessible trailhead makes it enticing to even the most novice (and out-of-shape) hiker, plus its proximity to the #1 & #2 beaches in the world (Lanikai and Kailua Beach) isn't too bad either.

So we set out.

Parking is somewhat of an issue since the mountain/trailhead/pillboxes are situated above a relatively posh neighborhood and country club, but the residents have been very friendly and mostly accommodating to the vast numbers of tourists and hikers who come each day to conquer this hike. Most people will find parking down the hill from the trailhead, so the uphill walk is a nice warm-up for your calves, which will be in for a rude awakening right from the onset of the hike itself, especially if you don't regularly exercise.

My little dude at the trailhead. Ridiculously easy to find. (The trailhead, I mean. Not my kid.)

The first trudge up the mountainside will give you a great cardio workout but the push to continue is great, especially when you come to the first lookout.

I mean, look. My 6 year-old can do this hike. If that doesn't motivate you, then I don't know what will.

This is where the ridge line begins… at your first elevated view of the Mokulua Islands in Kailua Bay. The trail is easy enough to follow, it's very worn-in and well-traversed. We try to do this hike at least a couple of times a month, just to kind of keep a hand in and to remind us where we started. It does get easier (and faster) with time, let me just say. The hoards of tourists can be a bit of a drawback, but if you don't mind crowds at the end of your hike, this will be ok for you. I just put in my headphones, put my head down and haul ass for the top and try to ignore most of the people on my way up.

That's my mom. She beast-moded it up with me one day and left me in her tracks. To be fair, she runs marathons.  

Just follow the trail (or the crowds, depending on the time of day) and you'll quickly find yourself at the summit and the first bunker. 

 First bunker! That's Flat Island just behind me, and Kaneohe Marine Base in the distance.

A lot of people choose to turn around and head back down the trail from here, and that's fine. I didn't even realize there was a second (and apparently, an elusive third) bunker until just recently, and I have hiked this trail many, many times in the past. But to continue on to the 2nd bunker, just keep going along the ridge. The trail between the two bunkers is a saddle, but with no (excessively) steep drop-offs. I felt safe bringing my kid with me and letting him run with me between the bunkers, if that's any indication of how safe it is (or of my parenting style, haha.) 

That's me and mom at the 2nd bunker. I think the view from this pillbox is much prettier than the first.

You could certainly hang out up here for a while, enjoying the view and a snack - but I generally choose to snap off a few pics and head back down before my irritation level starts to rise. I love that people enjoy my home, but I can only handle large numbers of people for so long before I get snappy. It's still one of my favorites, and a perpetual go-to hike.

Because of the terrain, bring good shoes (hiking shoes not necessary, but you might find that your running shoes might not have the grippiness you want for the rocky pitch you'll encounter in certain places), and most of the hike is exposed ridge line so wear sunscreen! Water is always a necessity, as is your camera/phone/GoPro for pictures at the top.

How can you go wrong with a view like this?

Trail length (round-trip): 1.2 miles (0.6 mile each way)
Elevation gain: ~500 feet
Time: Approximate, depending on fitness level. I've done it in 12 minutes from base to top, but you can certainly take your time and enjoy the view.

It Started Off Innocently Enough...

Rewind to 13 weeks ago. I was watching my 6 year-old son warm up for his first (kids) Spartan Race at Kualoa Ranch. Also in my line of sight was the finish line for the adult race. I saw (what I considered to be) the usual competitors at these types of obstacle races: military-types, elite runners, every day athletes. Then I saw women crossing whose body types were far bigger than my own 5'4", 109 lb frame. I thought, wow. Those girls are in way better shape than I am to have run this race. What's my excuse? Then I saw an older woman, likely in her 60's coming up on the finish line. She had a cane in one hand and was leaning heavily on her partner, who helped to walk her to the finishers' area. When I saw that, I said to myself, "that's it. You literally have zero excuses for not doing this next year." And so began a revisit to a journey started 14 years ago.

My boy (in black, jumping over the wall) at the Spartan Race!

With his cousin at the finish.

What an inspiration. And what a journey it's become.